High School

Woodland spikers reach semis for 1st time in school history BY KYLE BRENNAN REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

BEACON FALLS — Tied at 12-all in the fifth set of Monday's Class M volleyball quarterfinal, Plainfield star hitter Morgan Griffin rose at the center of the net to attempt another explosive kill.

Woodland middle blocker Erin Wester, who didn't have a block to her name all day, jumped opposite her superstar counterpart. This time, on the most important of points, Wester won.

Her block gave the Hawks a 13-12 lead and Tayler Boncal served out the final two points to give No. 1 Woodland a 3-2 win over No. 8 Plainfield and the school's first-ever berth in the state semifinals.

The set scores were 25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 21-25 and 15-12.

Woodland, which has advanced to the quarterfinals in three of the last four years, takes on No. 5 Tolland on Wednesday at a site and time to be announced.

Griffin, who entered the match among the state's top six statistical hitters, got the best of Woodland (19-3) most of the day with 25 kills. But all Wester needed to do was be better one time.

"I saw the ball where it was, and I knew I had to get it," said Wester, who finished with five kills. "It was quite difficult because she's a great player and she knows how to get around the block so you have to time it just right."

Woodland coach Jim Amato, whose team averages only about three blocks per game and had just the one against Plainfield (15-6), saw one of his team's quieter seniors make the play of the day.

"Just like when they said the Grinch's heart grew three sizes, I think Erin grew a foot and a half," Amato said. "She wanted that block and that resonated in the gym."

On the next point, Boncal served up her last of eight aces to set up double match point.

"I was nervous but I wasn't looking at the scoreboard," said Boncal, who added 15 kills and nine digs. "We just had to play volleyball and get it over. I believed in my team."

Woodland's Brianna Pacileo returned a ball on the next rally and it never came back over as a Panthers' error ended the match.

Plainfield led early in the fifth, taking a 5-2 lead on a Cassidy Ball kill, but Boncal and Pacileo took over to help the Hawks rally.

A pair of Pacileo kills knotted the set at 8-all before Plainfield took another two-point lead at 10-8. Boncal, a senior with three years of varsity experience, came through with three points down the stretch and helped Woodland finish the match on a 7-2 run.

"I've been in fifth sets before, and I've been in the quarterfinals before and I sensed the team was nervous, especially the younger players," Boncal said. "I felt like I needed to pick everyone else up so we could play our game."

Woodland won two of the first three sets, weathering the initial storm by Griffin. She had 21 kills in the first three sets and kept the Hawks off balance with a jump serve.

"In the beginning it was pretty scary, actually," said Woodland libero Nicole Fowler, who had 16 digs. "I didn't know how to react, but I started moving up and it came right to me."

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